Camcorder (like Panasonic HC-VX980) as a live video feed in Jitter?

Matthew Grouse's icon

I have a live performance project coming up where I'd like to use Max / jitter to pass a live feed from a camcorder (Panasonic HC-VX980), showing a close-up feed of an aspect of the performance. I'd then like to split-screen that with other pre-recorded video > eventually sending this all to the projector so the audience can see parts of the live performance that they otherwise couldn't see without crowding round the performers. Of course video processing of the live feed might be fun too but let's see!

I'm struggling to find out if this will just be plug and play with a camcorder like this (it has mini HDMI and USB ports but from reading the manual I can't get a clear answer about whether it's a case of just connecting it with the Macbook, firing up a patch with [jit.grab] & selecting the input device or if I'd need some external gizmo like a Blackmagic capture card. I'm not in possession of the camera until an intensive workshop week where I will make the majority of the piece on-site, so need to know if I should buy anything external to bring with me.

Tutorial 21: https://docs.cycling74.com/max5/tutorials/jit-tut/jitterchapter21.html - talks about this working for any QT capable input device / camera but is there a more up to date example / tutorial of this being done with camcorders of this sort? Maybe that tutorial has everything I need? If it's of any use, this particular camcorder is on the list of iMovie for Mac OS supported cameras

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Any advice much appreciated and apologies if this is mega basic! :)

Rob Ramirez's icon

you will likely need a capture box to get the HDMI output from the camera in your computer for streaming via jit.grab. this article suggests one to try with a similar panasonic camera: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/amp/video/tips-and-solutions/basic-introduction-to-livestreaming-video

Matthew Grouse's icon

Thanks, Rob! In that case, I'll probably just buy an HD USB webcam (not as hi-res or flexible but sure it'll do the job)